thot for the thot-less

"Spend the afternoon! You can't take it with you."

-Annie Dillard

Journal notes:

I'm convinced that I'm a "waster of time"! I've had approximately 40+ days to get something done around here and I've gotten approximately 'nothing' done - other than wash some clothes and dishes and chase animals! My intentions and lists are always good but, they fall by the way-side for some reason or another. Having kids around was always a good motivator to get things done - just because I 'had' to! Self-control? Well that went out the window some time ago - got to figure how to get that back. It's funny how no matter what 'stage of life' you're in, there are ALWAYS challenges! The stage I'm in right now, I seem to be a slacker! After years and years and years of never having enough time for myself, I now have it and don't really know what to do with it! But, I'll learn. Until then, think I'll sit a spell and soak in some sun! That's 'something' isn't it?

escapeseeker

***before playing this clip, please scroll to the bottom of this page and turn off the music!***

If the clip does not 'self-start' give it a little push with the curser!



The music in this clip was written, recorded/engineered and produced by Griffin - he even sang the 'vocals' in the song - so listen for them, pretty sweet! It will be featured on Mel Gee's new PBS series that will air 'soon'. She will be taking you to some interesting and distant places on this globe we call earth!

Mel Gee and I have something very interesting in common: we are grandmothers to Leah! How cool is that?

QuiRkS oF a sMalL tOwN!

I had so much fun hangin' out up north - in a small town. Heather and Kelly were selling their wares at the Main Street event. All the roads were closed - you could smell the aroma of scones frying, spare ribs cooking, fresh corn on the cob steaming, folks visiting, kids playing and laughing! Ahhhhhhhh, now that's a 'sweet' summer evening! Every town has it's little quirks - the people, the styles, the clothes etc. I loved capturing these little quirks that make this town up north so enjoyable and the people so lovable - really! "Now, pass that chocolate covered bacon ! ! !"

through the window

Check back SOON - pics from a summer celebration in a little town north of us. You won't want to miss it!

honored

Thursday, fifty living veterans of various wars were honored at the dedication of the War Memorial in our little town. It was a great time to honor these living vets who gave so much in service to their country. I knew so many who were honored as I see them daily, coming and going, in their busy lives. It was an amazing celebration on a gorgeous day - I was so happy to be there. My mom looked so pretty as she marched up to receive her recognition.



These pictures don't show but, there are many walls filled with names and they are double-sided. I will have to return and get a pic of the entire plaza. Very impressive and humbling.

a day filled with . . .

This photo was taken back on 'Kelton's special day' . . . and my family wonders why I love taking my camera with me! I just love his face? Just a blink in time, forever captured!



Today is going to be a fun day! Later this afternoon Grandma Alice is going to be honored at the new 'Wall of Veterans' in our little town. It is a beautiful monument, large in size - near the hospital, that holds a plaque with name and information about each individual vet - both living and dead. There are 50 living vets that will be honored today. Pictures to follow!

Then, Heather is setting up 'shop' in a small town, up north and will be showing her 'wares' to the public. She's been working hard to get everything ready. She's having a lot of success with her designs - I'm totally excited for her and will travel north to see how things are going.

all that remains - thank you dear farmer!

My obsession is soon coming to an end! My obsession: wheat fields. The only thing left to do is to bail the hay and then to disc the fields under for the winter. Yes! Soon these fields, that surround our home in the 'Burg', will be plowed under and I will have nothing to photograph but snow! Did I actually use the four letter word? Opps, that won't happen again!



Just a little different view . . .

A SPECIAL THANK YOU to our "farmers" who dedicate their lives to feed us.

over the river and through the woods

Well, they're gone now - gone home! Gone home to pack their bags to come back! For the first time in over 12 years, Whit will be moving closer. Bodin can come and play at grandma's house and sit in the hot tub with grandpa! We're pretty excited. Schuy will be going to school and they'll both work to support their baby-bodin.

It was a fast trip - filled with looking for housing and looking at the school Schuy will be attending. At one point in time, I was dog-sitting (6) dogs - let me tell you, watching kids is a lot easier! Why I didn't take a picture of this experience, I'll never know! It was crazy, to put it mildly

blue ribbon

Several times, Aspen went missing at the county fair. This time I found her at the 'chickens'!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY:

TODAY is my eldest son's birthday! He was away camping with his family so I wasn't able to sing my 'sweet' birthday song to him! I think he left his phone off on purpose so I couldn't reach him with my tender, loving voice! Haha! My voice seems to be getting worse with each passing year!

I can't even come to terms with the 'age factor' - it totally blows me away to think of how many years ago it was that I spent 22 hours in agonizing labor to get him here! Age, age, age - relative, unimportant, ha!?! That is, until I look at the number - it makes me ancient, older than dirt, over-the-hill, heading toward the nursing home! Okay, I'm being dramatic here - well, kind of!

It's been rather challenging in August to have {3} birthdays within days of each other. Note to family: Let try and 'space' these birthdays a little better in the future! ! !

Okay, okay I'll tell you - Shawn turned 39 years old TODAY. It's just a dang-good-thing I was a child-bride when I had him! ! ! ! Now you know.

this year's obsession

Last year my obsession was potato fields - this year wheat fields in the "burg" . . .

"deep lush carpet"



"whispers of harvest"



"high noon"



"amber waves"

i love birthdays - just not mine!

Summer is about over - school started for Carson and Kelton today! School started for Bob but the kids start next week. They harvested the grain field off of second east and it's waiting in the field to be rolled into huge bails. Note to self: take a picture of it!

Called Bodin tonight and sang (poor kid) Happy Bday to this 2 year old! He thought it was funny (it was)! Whit said they would be down our way this Monday - looking for housing and work. Then, they'll move back down the end of September. It's for sure as they've told their work places they would be leaving. I'm sure they did a little screaming! Whitney moved away from our little town years and years ago and has only been back, from time to time to visit! She's been gone for 12 years and now coming home (close by) to raise her little baby-bod. My heart is leaping for joy . . . well, you get the picture!

Bob and I took the dogs for a walk to our favorite secluded place - where they can run and not worry about getting run over. Bob talked about his new job and some of the things he's been doing. He seems happy with what's going on and what he's in charge of. He seems really busy - every time I call he's in a meeting! That's a good sign. We had a good walk and a good talk about stuff. We're definitely moving into a new stage of our lives - more freedom, maybe even be able to travel in a few years!?!?!

I was to go to Utah to help Cameron today - but found out Cam would not be gone as long as he thought so decided Leah would stay in Arizona until he returned. I'll miss my little vacation from 'The Burg' but I'll survive. I really love traveling south - like it a little more each time I go! Maybe in October!

Shade picked up his stuff this afternoon after work - his parents got home from camping. It was so fun to have him here and hang out with him. He's pretty quiet these days - but we had a chance to talk a little - he's an amazing kid and it's quiet around these parts once again.

let yourself feel

We had the 'fun' privilege of having Shade-ster with us for his 14th birthday! His family went camping, he had football so decided to stay behind so he could 'start' when the football season kicked off next week. We had a bunch of fun on his special day - went out to dinner, took in a show (G.I. Joe) with his cousins and had some treats! He spent three days with us - man, I love this kid!



BEFORE starting this delightful clip, scroll down to the bottom and turn off music!

let yourself feel. from Esteban Diácono on Vimeo.

there's nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly

do not break the silence

you need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star

remember quiet nights

burn down your bridges.

think outside the box

let yourself feel

r.u.s.h. triathlon

We were prepared for a terrible day - the forecast was showers and cold temps - highs in the 60's! It was cloudy but it was a beautiful morning - not too cold for 'us Idahoans' - it was actually a perfect day for a race, not too hot, not too cold. I hear the water temp was warmer than the outside temp! That's Idaho!

Well, I have to tell you about the beginning of the race. The second group into the water was Bob's group. One of the first out of the water was this guy, pictured in the top two pics. At first, I thought someone got hypothermia along the way and they were bringing him into shore in a boat. No! This dude (didn't get his name) swam towing this boat with a kid who had cerebral palsy and had to carry him to shore and put him in a wheel chair before he could go on to the next phase of the race. It was inspiring to watch.

Not long after, Bob and the next group climbed out of the water and his next task was getting dressed for the second phase of the race - biking. He said he liked the swim the best - it was the easiest! I guess those three swims a week (for a year!!!!!!) helped ease the pain of the whole thing!



The men took off twenty minutes before the women. This was Heather's first triathlon and she was worried! Brian said she didn't sleep all night due to nerves. But just look at her - she looks like a pro even though she hadn't been swimming in a long, long time - especially in an open body of water! Even though the swim wasn't her strongest event, she came out of the water well before most of the other women. When she hit the bike, she was feeling comfortable and made up some good time.

COME BACK TOMORROW FOR MORE PICTURES OF THE CONCLUSION OF THE RACE AND MEDALS! YES, MEDALS!



Brian just finished building a custom titanium road bike for a girl named Virginia (pictured) and she came from Colorado to pick it up and while she was here, she decided to do her first ever triathlon! She came out of the water almost last but made up time on the biking event - her strong event!

It was a VERY BUSY weekend taking pictures! Shhhhewwwwah!

kelton's big day

When Kelton walked through the doors of the church, he walked up to the Bishop and said, "I'm SO EXCITED!"



Friday afternoon we all met up north for Kelton's BIG day! It was a small group but everyone who was there really wanted to be there - and for that matter, there were many who couldn't make it that would have loved to come! The Stake President, Bishop and pianist from the ward were there and, of course, Kellie and her little family.



Family in attendance: Grandma Great Ward, Bob and I (of course, no pics of me cause I was behind the camera!), Tyler and Nicole. Brian and Bob did the ordinance work I led the music as we sang and I gave a talk directed to Kelton about his special day. Haven't had a 'hot flash' for a long time UNTIL I stood up to speak (wham-bang-kaboom #@?!*% it happened!) I had a hot flash! Not sure what my face looked like BUT, I was boiling! Haha!

t-bone and morgie

This was really a FUN morning for me! Our county fair is now in progress and the 4H groups and FFA groups are showing their animals! What a great experience for these kids - I can't even tell you! I looked around the indoor arena and watched all the little kids running here and there, walking animals, holding animals, showing the animals they raised all year! Then I thought of all the children in the big cities and recognized just how fortunate these kids were to have these amazing programs - and to live on farms!

The judging was to start at 9 a.m. and I was there in plenty of time. Morgie is living the life I wanted for myself as a kid! Yes, I'm living my childhood all over with her.

The pictures shown here are of Morgie showing her steer, "T-Bone" in the ring in front of a judge - and a tough judge at that! In the pictures you can see her holding a long 'stick' with a hook on the end. This 'stick' is used to gently stroke the belly of her steer to keep him calm. It's also used to straighten their feet for the judge when they aren't lined up correctly - giving a gentle prod moves the animal into line. Also, you'll see a picture of a 'comb' in Morgie's back pocket - it's used to brush the hair of her steer after the judge touches the coat - it's VERY IMPORTANT that they do that or points are deducted!

Well, LONG STORY, SHORT, "T-Bone" took FIRST PLACE! ! ! "High five, Morg!" I tied the ribbon onto "T-Bone's" halter so he could be a PROUD-steer and within 30 seconds he had it all eaten - poof, just like that! The judges thought that was pretty funny and gave her another one! So much for that idea!

Morgie was pretty serious throughout the entire competition and the only time I saw her 'crack-up' was in the LOWER LEFT picture when he decided he needed to PEEEEEEEEE - right in front of the judge! "Ya gotta GO, when ya gotta GO!" - that's my slogan!

this-and-that photos

butter & pearls

Have you seen this movie, ha, have you, ha, have you? I've seen it twice - once with Bob (who slept through the entire show) and the second time alone so I could enjoy it!

Yes, I'm married to a man who views going to the show as a cup of chloroform - an 'expensive nap' is what I call it!

Anyway, I loved the show! I watched the first time to enjoy the acting - Meryl Streep was just amazing as Julia Childs - nailed it 100%! The second time I watched it for the story itself. I just loved how happy Julia was - she wasn't pretending on-air, she was real and authentic. Geezzzz, I came out of that show wanting to go get my pearls out of moth-balls, rush to my computer to order her cookbook and soften the butter in the frig! When I'd watch her show I would just laugh and laugh - she seemed like a comedian more than a chef - and the show just cracked me up, big time - I laughed and laughed and laughed (that's good for over-all health) - so I like to do it a lot!

Julie, the girl in the movie, got a book deal based on the blog she kept about her experiences with Julia's cookbook. I looked it up on Amazon and unfortunately, the reviews are not good at all! I loved her character in the movie - fun, adventuresome, daring and in love with Julia and her cookbook - but, her reviews earned only 1-2 stars - not good!

Now, go see it - but don't blame me if, before you know what hits you, you've got a cookbook from Amazon on your doorstep! Call me, we'll cook - French-style!

simple things of summer - kinda earthy

After returning from our travels this past week, Nic invited us for dinner - it was so funny because she had it all planned out in her mind what she was going to have - like a week before we were to come! I asked her, "What can we bring?" "Ohhhhhhh, nothing!" she said.

She wasn't fibbing when she said she had it all planned - we walked into a feast. Corned beef and cabbage and RED POTATOES right out of the garden (my fav), zucchini bread - zucchini freshly picked as well, salad greens, carrots and spinach - you guessed it, right from the garden! Then to top it off, she makes this delicious fresh berry cobbler - berries courtesy the local farmer's market! I was feeling really healthy after that meal!

We watched a fun DVD from the library - have you gone to the library to see the things they offer? A great source of family entertainment and it didn't cost a penny. We headed outdoors after the DVD to enjoy the amazing weather we've been having - calm, warm (not hot) just perfect for us 'cold-blooded-types' (people who live in sub-zero weather). We dug in the garden while Tyler was shooting his bow and the things we uncovered were eye-popping and delicious! Baby eagles were testing out their new wings as they perched on a neighbor's house - so fun to watch as their nest is located in trees directly behind Ty and Nic's house.

I'm really into saving money. When we went to California, my goal was to spend 'zero' dollars! I didn't reach my goal - I spent $1 to take a guys picture! Haha - how funny is that? It's such a great feeling and over the past 5+ years I've gone from being a CONSUMER to being THRIFTY! I guess it's just that place in life you reach when you're comfortable with what you have and who you are! It's so liberating and freeing. I've walked out of many-a-store saying, "Oh, I'll think about it!" . . . that's me saying such dribble! Haha, me the 'once indebted spender'!

With all this thrifting and eating organic food is making feel so EARTHY! Now, where's my reusable shopping bags?

lazy days of summer

LOCAL-YOKLES: Where was this picture taken? If this picture doesn't FIT on your computer screen, click the picture!
Have a wonderful day!

locked out / FREE AT LAST, GOSH OH MIGHTY, I'M FREE AT LAST!

I'm actually at the library writing this - haha! Google, who I thought LOVED me, now says I'm an enemy trying to infiltrate their territory and has locked me out of the blogging world! Until I get it figured out (more like the 'geek-squad') I won't be able to access my blog nor will I be able to view your blogs! Oh wooooah, is me! I remember hearing the "Twitter" world was 'down' yesterday and SO many people were having withdrawls! How crazy are they! Well, now I'm locked out and I know exactly how they feel - feeling a little jittery and my eye is twitching! Hopefully, it won't be that long - but, I definitely will miss checking on all of you and my blog will be silent for awhile. 

thanks, google!

OKAY, okay, I'm back and in.  I did an unbelievable thing - I wrote 'google' a message and actually got through to them!  Ha - that's crazy! When I got home, I found that my trembling and eye twitching stopped when I logged in and was allowed to move forward!

just wonna talk

pictured: did you ever wonder where your canola oil comes from - I call this pic, "canola in the raw"!

I've been rushing and rushing for the past few weeks, I haven't been able to sit and just take a deep breath and chat!  I guess we could discuss the weather - it's feeling a bit 'springish' around these parts with a high of 68 degrees today and 63 degrees tomorrow.  We used our feather comforter last night to keep warm!  Ha!  We've also had some spectacular weather as well - lightening and thunder that dwarfs our 4th of July celebration, big-time.  Tornados have been spotted in nearby counties and high winds that have blown many 'tops of trees' completely out!   

It's been a fun an amazing week despite the travel and such. As we were zooming past the miles and miles of nothingness, I couldn't help but think how our ancestors had to walk past all those miles of nothingness - I couldn't help but ponder the hardships they endured so we could have what we have today.  

On our way home, we traveled a road that was new to us while we listened to a talk show describing 'zero population' and not leaving our 'carbon footprint' behind when we depart this earth.  I had to laugh because there were vast expanses of land stretching behind and ahead of us with no one in sight for hours in either direction!

This time of morning it's pretty quiet around here - Bob is off riding his bike for miles and miles!  His big race is next weekend, August 15th.  He hasn't missed a day of training in over a year - can you even wrap your head around that?!  I prefer my soft bed and pillow which has, by all rights, given me my soft stomach and butt - I must change my ways!  Three days a week he swims and three days a week he rides his bike.  He doesn't run as it's not good on his legs and hips (remember, he bionic!) but does that the day of the race!  I'll be there photo-journaling his adventure.

Be back in a minute!

satan sucks

Come and see for yourself at Heather's Etsy shop!

***Special Note - Misspelled 'werds' NOT included ! ! ! ***

walk with me down hollywood blvd

We'll start at Grif and Katrina's place and head down . . . 

there are thousands of stars names on the sidewalks of Hollywood  . . .

these murals were painted on the side of a building near Hollywood Blvd . . .
 

click the pics and see how many stars you can recognize.  I decided I was pretty old cause I could recognize and name many pictured here . . .

Kodak Theater plaza . . .

I do have to admit, I drool a bit over these bags . . .

You could have the scriptures read to you while you wait at the stop signal . . . 

this dude didn't look homeless or desperate - I think the dude was earning some extra money - I was diggin' the music . . .

Funny how these tours take people past stars home and all you can see in front is their high bushes . . .
homeless couple - click the pic, and notice her arms are all scared . . .

LOVE the bill of his hat - click pic and read . . .

ornate carvings in this door were pretty cool . . .

the graffiti was impressive . . .

 
we're back to Grif and Katrina's.  Although they live right on Hollywood Blvd., you can't hear the crowds of tourists in their apartment - super quiet and peaceful . . .

(photo credits- gub & berta)